Law Firm Uses Philips Continuous Speech Technology to Improve Workflow Management and Enhance Profitability; PC-Based SpeechMagic Software Works Directly With Word Processors

Business Wire, August 11, 1997

LORAIN, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 11, 1997--In today's cost-conscious times, law firms both large and small are continually faced with cost issues surrounding staff members who support a firm's base of attorneys. The question that often perplexes management is how to increase the productivity of support staff without causing decreased employee moral that often leads to staff turnover and the additional expenses associated with training new employees.

Gone are the days when attorneys could rely on having a personal secretary to handle all of their activities. Now firms are grappling with the problem of overworked administrative assistants who are trying to handle several lawyers at one time. Add in time for vacations and sick days and you have a system that can easily become clogged with paperwork and missed deadlines.

At one Lorain, Ohio law firm they have discovered a way to control costs and improve their working environment at the same time. Wickens, Herzer & Panza has been able to achieve this by employing the latest in continuous "natural" speech recognition technology from Philips Speech Processing, a division of the Dutch-based electronics giant. This groundbreaking advance now allows attorneys to speak as they would normally, without pausing between words, to dictate legal briefs and other documents into their computer's word-processing program. Through this revolutionary progress in office automation, law firms are finding that their administrative assistants can now easily handle three or more attorneys per person.

Philips, a pioneer in the development of natural speech recognition technology for PC-based applications, provides the technology and product components for US MicroShare, a Philips Natural Speech Processing Alliance partner that has developed a general litigation context for the legal market. At Wickens, US MicroShare has implemented a system designed to give the firm a competitive advantage by adding productivity-enhancing speech technology to its overall computer network.

"Since our attorneys rely entirely on the flow of paperwork to handle client caseloads, the cost and time involved with processing paperwork is a key part of our profitability," said Richard Panza, a senior partner in litigation who supervises six attorneys, two paralegals and additional support staff. "With the US MicroShare/Philips system, we have been able to easily implement the technology and substantially increase overall productivity among all levels of our organization."

SpeechFlow Tracks Paperwork Instantly

Wickens' staff is using a combination of digital dictation and continuous speech recognition technology to process all of the firm's paperwork, from memos and letters to complex legal briefs. This technology includes Philips' unique SpeechFlow workflow management software that allows attorneys to categorize paperwork by importance and instantly track the advancement of work in progress. This means lawyers can easily find an important brief being edited without needing to track down support staff for assistance.

"This system is simply great," said Sharon Herzer, director of administration. "We've been amazed at how quickly people have been able to get up and running. Usually with new technology there is a lag time and often you need to hire someone to oversee its implementation. Since Philips technology works with our existing word processor, we've only needed a short demo to get people acclimated to the system."

The implementation of natural speech recognition technology also is changing the roles of people within the law firm. Support staff members are finding their positions evolving into more administrative and less clerical in nature.

"This technology makes their positions more exciting and challenging," said Herzer. "Now they spend more time proofing legal terms and issues rather than simply inputting information."

Technology for All Levels of the Firm

Wickens organization includes 26 lawyers and 60 support staff in two offices. Over the first half of 1997, the firm has been implementing natural speech technology among its attorneys and paralegals with surprising ease.

"This technology has improved interaction between lawyers and paralegals and has allowed our attorneys to stay closer in touch with their cases," said D. Susan Kershaw, a paralegal in the firm's litigation department. "I've seen lawyers who initially didn't want to get involved with the technology now ask how they lived without it."

Compelling Cost Benefits

The cost benefits of implementing this technology are compelling since natural speech allows Wickens' attorneys to complete their work at the first point of contact with a brief, as they are constructing it, lessening the demand for manual transcription hours. The result is leaner attorney/support staff ratios, permitting the firm to increase billable hours while maintaining its present staffing level.

"The increase in efficiency has far exceeded our expectations," said Rachelle Zidar, an attorney in the firm's litigation department. "It's been especially helpful when we're short staffed by vacation time or illness. Instead of waiting in a frustrating transcription queue we can now edit our own documents."